Over 200 nurses at the University Teaching Hospital UTH have been issued with exculpatory letters after defying government’s directive for them to resume work.
The nurses have, however, refused to collect the letters saying they have been issued by UTH management who are not their employers.
In Livingstone, the workers who have also been issued with exculpatory letters have accused management of intimidating them.
They have, however, maintained that they will not resume work.
And Health Workers Union President Chrispin Sampa who met the workers at Livingstone General Hospital had difficulties in explaining the union’s position on the ongoing sit in protest.
In Kasama, the strike had entered its third day.
Despite pleas from management and a Zambian Congress of Trade Unions representative, striking nurses in Kasama said they would only resume their duties after the demands are met.
ZCTU northern region coordinator Peter Chungu who held a meeting with the nurses asked them to return to work on humanitarian grounds.
The hospital has in the meantime continued to be manned by a skeleton staff of student nurses from Kasama’s three nursing schools.
Hospital director Elijah Mutoloki repeated his earlier request asking the nurses to resume work and give Government a chance to to look into their grievances.
Patients in the meantime, said while they appreciated the gap the students nurses were trying to fill, they were not comfortable with the situation because the students were not qualified were out of their depth in certain situations.
And Striking nurses in Ndola on the Copperbelt have resolved not to bow to what they are calling government intimidatory’ statements.
The nurses who gathered at the hospital have also stated that they are ready to be fired for demanding what is right for them.
And Speaker of the National Assembly Patrick Matibini has ordered Minister of Health, Dr Joseph Kasonde to give a ministerial statement on the continued strike by nurses.
The order follows a point of order raised by United Paty for National Development (UPND) Monze Central MP Jack Mwiimbu who wanted to find out whether the Minister of Health was in order not to brief the House about the on-going strike by nurses throughout the country.
Dr Matibini ordered Dr Kasonde to give a statement to the House on Tuesday next week.
The more than 200 nurses went on strike last week on Friday demanding for improved conditions of service.
Please fire these heartless and indisplined nurses.I saw them on movie t.v the other day insulting the health minister.Saying the will insert him with a canular in the brain.I wonder where their professionalism has gone to.
I saw the clip too on youtube muvi tv channel.They were like “iwe reporter uye umwebe kasonde ati akaisanga cannula ku casualty ward !” I laughed.
But chitata cesu ca bufi he promised them 200% increment and u give pipo 4% ya shani Ba sata . Nurse go on striking if they write letters don’t correct them let them stay mufi ma trays
@Zambiano! Sorry that it is u who is heartless 4 wanting Health workers gets change from the Ministers pocket. If u urself gets a heift Salary, then continue enjoying ur huge salary! Leave the poor health workers alone with ur heartless and selfish GRZ leaders who only think of their pockets! VIVA HEALTH WORKERS
The Diaspora is anxiously awaiting your announcement to fire the nurses!
It will gladly welcome them and pay them many times over what you are denying them!
Angola is waiting!
Mozambique is waiting!
UK is waiting!
Uncle Sam is waiting!
The EU is waiting!
Australia is waiting!
Botswana is waiting!
RSA is waiting!
The list is long!
Try to fire them and see the misery you are going to create!
These are very marketable people!
Just because you don’t respect them locally does not mean they are not valued out there!
Stop this Gender Based Violence! Is it because most nurses are female that you want to take advantage of them and use them as door mats?
I don’t think they are happy to leave and watch patients die!
The Successive governments have failed to look after nurses!
ulichipuba, if the fire the nurses who do u think llb giving u ARVs. training nurses takes 3 years, where do think the govt will hire from to fill this gap. bukala bobe ubwalwala bukabola
Pathetic country with mediocre people
fire and hire nurses from other countries is it possible?.the government hav failed to keep their own what about from other countries.nurses hav rights to go on strike like any other people..hire is not cheap as wat other are thinking but fire is cheap.nurses can find employement anywhere and government can only manage to fire nurses but not their proffesionals……….nurses u ar so important
Is it true that Sata has told the Mansa residents that Zambia does not need a new constitution?
Source: ZWD
The problem is the government does not have the money. The money that was mean’t for nurses was used to award them selves hefty salary increment.
To solve this problem I propose the following solution which the government should take seriously;
Sata should cut all politicians ‘ pay by 10% and use that money to solve nurse’s salary discrepancies.
This aint rocket science is it?
Nurses just come to the UK, they need 20000 nurses as of now if the PF don’t want to pay you what they promised. Here you will earn just like Sata. Upto £50000 a year is not bad is it?
Its stand your ground. sometimes this is the only language govt understands.
Its govt not nurses that is causing patients to suffer
PF National Anthem:
Stand and sing for Zambia, cowed or hungry,
Lack of work, disjointed unity,
Visitors in the struggle for mineral rights,
We’ve bone freedom’s plight,
All plans, wrong but shrill.
At last a group of Zambians with courage and determination. Normally Zambians are passive and easily intimidated. I feel sorry for patients caught in the crossfire though. Ukwa and the PF only believe in threats. They always block lawful demonstrations against them. This time they have met their match.
Go on Nurses go on with the strike. Sata and Chikwanda have increased their huge salaries thrice in 2yrs. Why not you. Infact 10 per month is being linient with them
SWOT analysis: who is on a weaker position here. The first stage has been done. Next suspension and finally dismissed! Govt is only progressing with the statutes of the employment act! The target will be the initiators at UTH and it is for a lesson to others. There is 70% chance that the Govt would fire the nurses and hire some nurses from other countries like zimbabwe!
And then it will send all Deputy Ministers to do nurses jobs? In the mean time Government Officials, their spouses, children and close relatives will continue having medical services outside Zambia (at the expense of tax-payers) as usual?
but ulichipuba iweee. do u think govt has the mane to hire anyone? for your own information, there r still nurses who finished in dec last year still waiting to be employed. previously, as soon as nurses graduate, the wud b employed, not anymore from the time the PF came into power. first it was teachers under MMD who wait even for as long as 3 years after graduating, now its nurses, the govt is broke, there r even happy that they ll fire a few so that the get some relief
Why are most people insulting the nurses as if this is their fault? Did they promise themselves that they would talk to Sata and press for their salaries to not be at par with that of cleaners? I don’t think so! It was another lying minister from this lying government! This is just how they have reacted. Direct your insults accordingly, please!
But the government should just try to convince these nurses to go back to work in stead of intimidating them. these nurses are also individuals and responsibilties else where. so why not convincengly meet their demands. REMEMBER alife lost can not be recovered and patients die in hospitals,it becomes aloss to all Zambians.
Its interesting to see people suporting the nurses on strike; you can only plead with them when your loved ones or yourself are sick amd need the nurse to attend to you. I think every well meaning Zambian should condem the strike. My opinion would be to ask their union to negotiate again with government. They maybe excited like tht bt once fired life is hard this time around without a job. A nursing is abt life saving so there’s nothing like I can’t wotk because I’m not paid
shimwana, tekanya, the only language govt understands is confrontational, VIVA strike, PF govt ouuuuuut 2016
The problem these nurses have is that they have refused to listen to the advice from their union leaders.That is being indisplined.They elected that union to represent their interests ,hence must sing to the tune and advice of their union.In developed countries workers only go on strike if the union says so.Mob justice is playing a big role in this confusion.
Their Union Leaders or a bunch of uneducated parasites which are enjoying fruits of their collaboration with the Government?
so iwe mambala chamoneka kwati ulichiwelewele, ichipumbu
These are truly heartless nurses. Nursing is a noble calling to save humanity. Let the minister fire them all.
You wonder who is heartless – You or them??
@chivundu
Hahaha. That will be a major failure on part of govt. This problem needs a very sober approach and not an impulsive and simplistic action.
We support the nurses on their grievances of poor salaries and low morale in the health sector. However, PF Sata government should bear blame for the current striking workers in the country because of selfishness and greed. The president who is already comfortable by any standards increased his salary and that of his legal team and fails lamentably to think about the poor nurses, teachers and poor judicial prosecutors. That is what dictatorship and greed is all about. PF does not care about the common person except to use them for their selfish motives. Promises made of 90 days to benefit Zambians were lies, more money in Zambians pockets was all selfishness and greed of Sata and now he is head of state is like a lame duck. What a shame.
SATA RESPOND IF HH SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SITUIATION..please HH say something Ukwa only reacts when you in particular remind him of his failures.
dont insult the nurses you heartless job seekers, the govt promised them 21% way back in april and was only to be effected in september but 3 months down the line they are subjected to 4% which in most cases is at par with cleaners and no one is telling them when this anomally if any is going to be corrected, if fact you will see that even if they were to be given the 17% difference their salaries are still very much lower than the k10000 some uneducated fools are yapping about.
You don’t know what you have until you lose it…the British NHS would happily swap its nurses for our skilled nurses if it were possible. And these $illy PF politicians are doing what they know best; issuing useless threats – don’t make promises you cant deliver in the first place!
i thot a life of an individual shud come first world over bt these pathetic nurses ar puttin der narrow selfish interests first. i just lost a cousin b’coz of dem. why cant dey b workin whilst negotiating 4 der aggrievances? Stupid nurses please fire them!
Let ur useless leaders deploy unqualified soldiers n police officers to serve ur relatives!
That should tell you that negotiations hit a brickwall hence the drastic action taken…..my condolences! !
I agree with the 20 % increment and not the 10 million monthly salary plus 4 million kwacha housing we are hearing.Civil servants servants salaries takes a very big chunk if not the biggest from our economy(or yearly budget).The increase might have a lot of negative consequences on our economy.It is for this reason that this issue should be handled with extra caution lest we find ourselves in a situation where Greece is now.In Greece public workers refused to compromise when the government suggested things like the reduction in salaries and no major salary increments.Let us try to remove our political reading glasses and look at this situation critically.Our economic environment is not too conducive for unnecessary increments.
@Saulosi
This strike is apolitical. The mistake the govt made was giving huge salary increments to lowly productive workers such as cleaners and office orderlies. Visit any govt institution and you will find that these over employed class of workers spend most of their time just lazying around. The solution is to trim the public service and pay productive and essential professionals (nurses included) attractive packages.
@Jungle boy…thanks for that insight bro.It is my hope and prayer that a rational will as opposed to a political will take precedence in the resolution of this matter.
@Jungle boy…thanks for that insight bro.It is my hope and prayer that a rational will as opposed to a political will,will take precedence in the resolution of this matter.
Saulosi are you sure they are asking for K10 000 rebased? That’s unrealistic. Someone talk to these nurses. You can’t blame the government on this one..
Fire them in the long run lessons will have been learnt by all.After this abolish unions 4 such areas. After 0 dey don’t even want 2 listen 2 deir unions and govt.Thugs of de worst kind. Murderers ! let dem go. We warn dem we will begin 2 beat dem.
Clearly you know NOTHING about the role of unions especially in the public sector!!
So you are one of the panga fighters.
Its Yo rotten Gvt which is heartless Nurses. But still you sound like you make good nurse Volunteer to see if you can if stay even for Second.
@ Smash
U must b the most stupid, heartless, unrealitic, shameless thing I hav never come across on planet earth. Maybe Sata who is deaf & dumb is much better than u Smash.
Hw many street kids ar there on Zambian streets? & hw many wiil be sent to the street if nurses were to b fired countrywise. Learn to think b4 u say nthings u know nothing about. Nurses can find employment worldwide 4 yo own info.
Let them go where they will be paid well! Our Zambia is improving and developing and we can’t just be looking at nurses alone. Govt. unified the salaries for Civil service i.e. all Certificate holders, Diploma and Degree holders are paid same salaries as such, basing on their qualifications. So Govt. should isolate these nurses from making general statements as a group but should be classified and negotiate and justify why they should be paid more than their other fellow civil servants.
Don’t pay them just fire them and then advertise those vacancies immedietly just employ those who want to work
4 MILLION housing allowance. you spend two years at nursing school or three and you think you are worth such huge sums of money?
Umuntu,
Before you talk I think you should educate yourself first. Just like with any profession there is different levels of education. The information is at your finger tips, google it & make sure you have the facts before you show your ignorance. It’s not every nurse that spend only 2 years in school. I doubt you spend even that, at the very least.
You are really DULL( an empty tin actually) to think it’s the number of years one spends in school that determine ones Housing Allowance, nor any other allowance.
The nurses’ grievances are genuine but I think its wrong to let people die to make their point. I would rather they target and beat up their union leaders and certain politicians to drive home their polnt. Once life is lost, it can be redeemed.
The nurses should also cut out the singing of and dancing to silly songs. It makes them look like illiterates!
meant to say “once lost, life can’t be redeemed.”
You think nurses are enjoyin going on strike? Not at all they just fighting against injustice ,exploitation and their long abuse they have faced during their call of duty.
Let them be given a well meaning wage. Nurses dot back down we behind u guys! Why ant the ministers and PS`s who claim to be our servants getting similar monthly salary amounts like the ones you being paid.
Go on nurses and kip the fight alight
President Sata got a salary increment he even refused to consider refusing it. Why should the nurses say its ok not to give them a salary increment. While i dont agree with them being on strike as human life will be lost. But that is what government is betting on, that the nurses will just be told lies about the increment and will not be increased at all but will continue working because they might do it according to their conscious. That’s why The labour Minister Mr. Shamenda was able to lie to the Nurses that they can chop off his head, if government does not fulfil its promise. I think the President should fire him for making such a public statement knowing that it was unrealistic. First government must apologise through the President to the Nurses then re-negotiate.
Sata should lead by example streamline your bloated brigade of deadwood ministers for starters; show the nation that you are working towards creating a lean gov’t. You have just increased the credit limit for borrowing what message are you sending to joe public??
These incompetent old politicans are driving us deeper and deeper in debt with their careless clueless actions, its us who will be paying for all their mistakes in 10 years time.
I maintain to say all those who are NOT NURSES AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT ENTAILS need to SHUT their mouths. It is not ok for what government is doing to these people, government needs to realize they cannot afford to treat these people this way. Why wouldn’t anyone want a person taking care of your loved one to be paid accordingly?!!! If this profession was predominately male we would be talking a different story.
This is the exact reason why we take our nursing qualifications elsewhere where we are appreciated. You expect us to take care of your families for peanuts and yell at us for wanting to take care of our own. You count in the fact that “we are nurses” so it’s ok to abuse us? If the nurses don’t stand their ground no one will listen, in the meantime lives are been lost so why then isn’t Sata making sure that lives are not lost? It is also his responsibility.
Where are you sister???? You think cleaning old people’s bodies in Europe means being appreciated? Ask your fellow nurses in Zambia to tell you what they used to get before PF came into power and what they are getting now…..just in two years their salaries have more than doubled….cant you really appreciate this?
The ordinary people of zambia are the main losers but all because of poor governance.
It’s interesting to see so many new blog names on this issue. Spin?
Please just fire these certificate holders who think they are more educated than others. They have gone too far, why cant they wait for GRZ to sort out the anomalies in salary scales? Of course the gap between the professionals and the cleaners is too small. PF and GRZ must look into this next year. There is no way in this world where a cleaner gets almost the same salary as professionals. Having said this, let civil servants give the PF time to harmonize the salaries starting next year. If PF and GRZ fails to harmonize the salaries then the whole civil service can go on strike.
So let the nurses go back to work otherwise when you are fired it will be at your own peril as those GRZ who advocates have been fired.
Peace and Prosperity to Mother Zambia.
It’s all to do with the higher expectations the nurses had about the September salaries. Everyone had envisaged hefty increments and this was over publicized by the media.As a result and as per Zambians’ consumerist behavior the poor nurses(at least most of them)went on a borrowing spree.You can figure out the predicament they’ve suddenly found themselves in. Pay back time’s turned into a nightmare and there’s obviously no one the nurses can cry out to apart from the govt. Perhaps govt. would do well to consider the nurses’ grievances from this perspective.
Let them go where they will be paid well! Our Zambia is improving and developing and we can’t just be looking at nurses alone. Govt. unified the salaries for Civil service i.e. all Certificate holders, Diploma and Degree holders are paid same salaries as such, basing on their qualifications. So Govt. should isolate these nurses from making general statements as a group but should be classified and negotiate and justify why they should be paid more than their other fellow civil servants.
go nurses go goo,fight for what you know z right……u got our support you are so important because you are the closest pipo to the patients…make your pleas known….
when that nurse is fired you wont be there man. S/he will suffer terribly man, jobs are difficult to find as there are so many nurses waiting to be employed. Even what you saying that they will go to europe, do you think that african nurses in Europe work under good conditions????…No no man, they just clean old peoples bodies..a very abased job.
So dont tell lies to nurses …PF has really improved civil servants salaries…I can tell you that with my salary now , I cant come to South Africa fo a job. No no, I am better off here in Zambia.
Mr.Truth Hates # 33.1 You are missing the point.The nurses bone of contention is the amount they were awarded as compared to the cleaners,and porters.The nurses are first of all form 5 school leavers who spend 3 years in the school of nursing.Others go on to specialize in Psychiatry,Midwifery etc.The cleaner gets k3000,while a nurse gets 3500!
Am not a nurse but the amount of work they do is overwhelming.Am not descriminating against the cleaners.If they deserve that amount,go ahead and pay them but at the same time pay the nurses what they are worth.For me they are worth over k10,000!
Am reminded of the 1999 – 2000 Doctors strike which culminated with the retirement of the junion doctores some at the age of 30 by the MMD of which Sata was the minister without portifolior.
My advise to the PF is that please swallow your pride and negotiate with nurses.Give a written assurance fo commit looking into their plight in the next budget.Don’t escalate the situation to the already suffering patients by dismissing the nurses.
As for the student nurses,how long are they going to handle the situation?Are they not supposed to be in class at some point?
In the event of another cholera outbreak,what will happen given the current scenario?
Do the sensible and credible thing for once PF!
Let us avoid Sin .Insulting the Nurses,the Gvt,the Union and the Patients as well.That nursing is acalling,let us not abuse that calling let us handle it with care all of us.Going to UK is not a solution at all,some of my sisters have tried and failed coz of certain reasons and tell them as well how many Nurses have left UK to some other countries during this year.Dont forget as well that paper processing takes along time and needs money too.Bambo about called,not all are called this you know better.Nursing is just like any other job now days,but if you and i want the word to be solid it can be.I would want my nice sisters and brothers amicably descus with the power that be.Ley us remember Mother Thresa bane.Napapata.
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